


Stars Above

by Bass0w0n, TexWash



Series: Gas Giants of the Galaxy [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baby clone, Child aquisition, Clone Cadets, Clone Centric, Clones speak Mando'a, DNA manipulation, Gen, M/M, Mace Windu is Whipped, Mando'a, Original Clone Trooper Characters, Soft jedi, Star Destroyer Endurance, The Painted Universe, can be platonic, chat fic, pog - Freeform, ponds/mace, text chat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:07:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29383230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bass0w0n/pseuds/Bass0w0n, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TexWash/pseuds/TexWash
Summary: The acquisition of a child is that of complexity. Especially when one does so while on a Venator-class Star Destroyer in the middle of a Hyperspace Lane.
Relationships: CC-6454 | Ponds & Mace Windu, CC-6454 | Ponds/Mace Windu
Series: Gas Giants of the Galaxy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2198295
Kudos: 44





	1. Chapter 1

The Endurance had made the jump to hyperspace four days ago, leaving the safety of Republic space and the glowing surface of Coruscant behind now that they were, once again, fully supplied. Their next objective was making them switch hyperspace lanes several times, so most troopers taking this time to relax for the moment knowing that it would take them at least another day to reach their destination.

It’s the eve of a new year, another Ten Months in this gods-forsaken war. The Separatists have yet to back down, and they seem to grow ever bolder with their attacks as the war continues. The people of The Republic were growing tired, as were his men. Hells, even Mace was growing tired of this war, and he could imagine that all the other Jedi in the order were growing weary as well. Except perhaps Skywalker, the difficult part with him would be finding something for the reckless Jedi Knight to do once this war was finally over.

Master Windu entertains the thought of sticking Anakin on Youngling duty, to teach him patience of course, as he traverses down the steel corridors of his Flagship. Few Troopers populated the halls, Mace suspects that most of them were taking this rare opportunity to enjoy some activities they otherwise wouldn’t have time for. But that wasn’t any of his business, what his men did with their free time; as long as they don’t spend it the way the stories claim the 501st does. The few troopers Mace does see on his way to the bridge honor him with sharp salutes that he returns with small smiles and a few nods. Hopefully, his men wouldn’t be too out of it when they hosted the Cadet tour from Kamino, in the next ten-day, that isn’t exactly the kind of message he wants to send to younglings.

General Windu barely reigns in a sigh when the doors of the bridge slide open to reveal, quite literally, every one of the Bridge Officers away from their stations. Maybe he should reschedule the tour and assign it to someone else, not Master Plo, of course, that would just lead to further trouble. Perhaps Master Mundii, he has been a level head throughout the war and his men share a similar mindset. According to Ponds, the Nova Marines, under Commander Baccara, would certainly get a kick out of the cadets.

Mace quietly walks over to the gaggle of troopers, a neutral face and the slight quirk of an eyebrow should be enough to send them all back to their stations. Why they were even away from their stations, in the first place, he could hardly even guess. Commander Ponds was supposed to be watching over them, currently, but the General couldn’t even catch a glimpse of him in the groups of cooing softshells.

None of his troopers even noticed Mace until he was practically one with their little conglomeration. The first to notice was a rather new addition bridge staff, named Dish, who is quick to elbow those next to him. This chain reaction of elbows quickly silenced the group and now look to General Windu in trepidation, now to deploy the eyebrow. One of the veteran softshells quickly stands at attention and the rest are quick to flee to their stations, it would almost be like nothing had ever happened, aside from the occasional glance back to where the Jedi was. 

Windu chuckles to himself before turning to look at what all the fuss was about only to see his Commander standing there with an oddly proud expression. Almost smug, even. Ponds was holding a small bundle of fabric, fully kitted but without his helmet leaving Mace free to see all his expressions.

“Commander Ponds, why all the excitement?” Quirking an eyebrow never seems to work with Ponds, he’s too smart to be fooled by Mace’s stoic facade.

“General, allow me to introduce our newest Cadet, she's a little bit early but in her defense, she couldn’t do anything about that.” Ponds speaks quietly, practically whispering as he moves some of the blanket to reveal a small child. The child looks to be sleeping, and Ponds looks at her with such affection. “Only a few days old, cute ain't she.” Mace doesn’t know how to respond, he hasn't had to deal with anything like this since Master Koon had found Padawan Tano.

The last thing he expected during this war was for his men to start stealing children as well.

Ponds was completely absorbed in the incredibly small child now, but the bridge staff were still throwing looks over their shoulders. One didn’t need to be a Master of the Force to detect how tension was rising.

“Commander, I-” Mace pauses to think about how he was going to word this,”-would you take a walk with me, please.” That would do, this isn’t a conversation he was willing to have with an audience. Ponds shifted his grip on the babe, turning her into his shoulder, careful with all the hard plates of his armor.

Mace ushers Ponds off of the bridge, moving quicker than normal. Hopefully, the halls wouldn’t have too many troopers so they can have this conversation in private. Mace turns to his Commander who is still looking wistfully down at the little bundle. She seems to be waking up now that they are moving, squirming slightly in Pond’s hold as he shushes her. 

“Commander, how did you acquire this child? We’ve been in hyperspace for nearly a ten-day, how-” Ponds cuts him off without even looking up from the child, his voice still soft but firm.

"Her name is Tra. I'm going to be taking care of her."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **_Mando'a Translation_**  
>  Jetii- Jedi  
> Ik'aad- Baby, Child under 3  
> Vod[e]- Sibling[s], Brother[s], Sister[s]  
> Cadet- A young Clone in Training [Age 4-6]


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No answers, only More Questions.

Behind the privacy of sealed doors, it was amazing how much emotion General Windu expressed; of course it took quite a long time before he trusted Ponds enough to let him see that side of him, but Ponds always knew he wasn’t as apathetic as some made him out to be. Windu’s current pacing was one of these many hidden truths. Currently his General was expressing anxiety, and a lot of it based on how much pacing he has been doing, as soon as the doors had closed Mace had started pacing the entire length of the room and back.

“We are in the middle of a war, Commander, and having a child _-an infant nonetheless-_ on the front lines of an Intergalactic Siege isn’t going to happen.” The General had been saying similar nonsense on the way back to his quarters, about how this is a horrible idea and not safe for anyone. Little Tra is beginning to stir with all the excitement, Ponds watches her wake up slowly, blinking open small silver eyes.

“General, _you woke her up._ ” This stops Mace from his pacing, “Do you want to hold her, Sir? You should hold her, General.” Ponds can see that Mace is going to reject her, well too bad. Ponds isn’t going to take no for an answer, in this regard, so his all mighty and powerful Jetii better get used to having an ik’aad around and get used to it. Sooner rather than later would be more helpful.

“I don’t really think that's necessary-” Ponds is already slipping the babe into his arms, it’s almost funny how stunned Mace is now that he actually has the child in his arms.

“You need to support her head, she is only a few days old after all.” Windu continues to be sunned but repositions accordingly, letting the crook of his elbow support her head. “ _There we go_ , so cute.” Ponds gives them both a tap on the nose before turning heel and walking towards the exit.

“Ponds, where are you going? _Ponds._ ”

“I’ll be back after my shift, don’t worry Sir, I know all you Jetii have some form of Creche training.”

###### 

Ponds walked out the door with an attitude that would probably get him Court Martialed if he wasn’t literally the only thing keeping Windu semi-sane in this Force-forsaken war. And now, here he was, the High General and figurehead of the Jedi Council was being told by his Commander to stay put and watch over a child that had literally appeared out of thin air. Who does he look like, Plo Kriffing Koon?

The small girl- Tra, apparently -was cooing now and making small noises. She has been quite calm through this entire ordeal, hopefully she doesn’t grow up to be too much of a handful. Although, the fact that this child has at least 8 Shatter Points around her already is worrying, at least they aren't too large right now.

Mace blinked at the thought. Force, he was already thinking of the child’s future. By now, General Windu had slipped away and completely given into the fact that _“yes, my Commander essentially catfished me into caring for this small creature as a way to also care for myself”_. The clever Bastard.

With a deep, soul-shuttering sigh; Mace resolved himself to his fate. Who knows, maybe some good will come of the wiggling infant currently attempting to climb his face. Speaking of the child- Tra is swinging her little arms wildly now, smacking Mace’s hands and chest. She must be hungry, he can’t think of any other reason she would be this fussy all of the sudden.

What will this child eat? It had been many many years since Mace’s last run-in with the Creche, let alone actually paying attention to any of Master Plo’s extensive rambles about the differences in care, based on species and dietary requirements, within the Jedi Crech Masters. Really, who has all that time to spend with the younglings?

Another Smack. Ah, yes, food.

General Windu made himself comfortable, or as comfortable as he could get with an increasingly fussy worm in his arms, on a meditation cushion. Pulling out his comm, he sent off a quick message to Ponds, knowing he’d get it on his hud and respond when appropriate.

###### 

**[Private Chat between Cmmdr Ponds and Gnrl Windu]**

Windy: She is wiggling with a determined ferocity

Windy: Do you have some form of food or sustenance stashed away for her?

Froggers: hld n

###### 

Apparently, that appropriate time was now. The wriggling creature was now starting to grab, not only at his robes but at his face as well. Poor thing was causing itself to lose balance far too easily. To combat this, Mace simply laid her securely in his lap- arranging his loose cloak to act as a sort of nesting material or blanket. _Still no crying. Curious._

###### 

Froggers: I have a few things stashed in my room

Froggers: But, knowing you, you forgot the code again

_How dare Ponds try to out him like that._ Mace totally remembers the code. 100 percent. It’s, uh…..

Froggers: Don’t bother trying to remember, now, I’m changing it again

_Blast._

Froggers: Go to Medical. Cyclone has a good amount of supplies

Windy: Thank you, Ponds

Froggers: I’ll tell him to pack you a Diaper Bag

Windy: PONDS-

**[Froggers is now Offline.]**

###### 

Normally, when his Commander left him on Read, General Windu would let composure be his guide. By flopping backward onto whatever happened to be behind him and letting his comm smack itself against his chest. With the addition of this small warbling creature, however. Mace peered down at his lap, utterly failing at making eye contact with anything other than the tiny girl busily stuffing a corner of his cloak into her mouth. 

Sighing deeply at the sight, Master Windu did what he did best: Make note of the situation and move on towards the objective. Scooping up the baby, purposefully not thinking about all the saliva that had just soaked into his favorite cloak, Mace wraps her in a secure swaddle using the blanket she came with. The Jedi exited the empty break room and made his way to the Stern Portion of the ship. Hoping Cyclone would at least have _something_ \- or, better yet, will see him as unfit to care for the child and “Confiscate” his charge for the last hours of the shift.

Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **_Mando'a Translations:_**  
>  Jetii- Jedi  
> Ik'aad- Baby, Child under 3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I would like the Jury to note that I do not know how Children work, nor will I ever. They are disgusting slime-riddled worms that have zero logic with their design aside from the biological standing of “Being Cute’ in order to combat the natural instinct of Mother Abandonment. TLDR: Tex doesn’t understand children, outside of minimally required research, and yet still attempts to write them._

Bad idea, horrible idea, what was Mace even _thinking_. 

Not only was Medical barely filled, the on-staff Medics and Soft Shells were clearly having some sort of a gossip circle, on the floor, as they rolled bandages up across a large sheet. Usually, with such a prolonged time spent in Hyperspace, the Troopers would’ve started some sort of fight to keep themselves occupied. Typically after a game of cards had gone bad. The fact that there were, honestly, only three beds and a single private room occupied, horrified General Windu. On top of that, Ponds had assured him that his Battalion were some of the best behaved in the GAR: Force help the medics on Skywalker’s ship.

“Ah, hello General.” Cyclone, clad in his soft-looking maroon scrubs, exited his office just to the left of Mace’s current position, dragging his nose out of whatever he had on the datapad in his hands. Odds lied evenly from an innocent Flapping Bird game to the Dramatized Files of the 112th Battalion- really, the man would do anything on that ancient tablet.

“Lieutenant, has Commander Ponds informed you of the....” Master Windu glanced down at the babe in his arms, raising an eyebrow as she effectively shoved her entire hand into her mouth, “ situation?” _Please say yes_ , he doesn’t want to explain why he has a small child in front of all these troopers. If this gets out it’s going to be the end of him, and Mace knows that there must be an information chain of some sorts based on the rumors he has already heard buzzing about.

Cyclone gave the General his signature knowing smirk and suddenly Mace regretted in hoping that his Chief Medical Officer would already be aware of his situation. “Of course, _Sir_ , I’ll put something together for you.” The older Trooper moved smoothly across Medbay, expertly weaving between beds to check up on the status of the few troopers within their hold. “In the meantime, why don’t you let the other Medics see little Tra again- _I’m sure they would love to give you advice, as well._ ” Oh for karks sake, that was the last thing Mace wanted to do. The Medics sitting among the floor were already eyeing him curiously, some leaning away from the circle a bit to try and get a peek at the odd bundle in his arms. She was stirring again now that he wasn’t moving, apparently she likes the rhythm of walking so at least that is a way one can deal with her.

The Officer disappeared into the storage rooms set off from the primary ward sector, leaving the General and the surprise child in his arms who was actively squirming now, wanting out of her swaddling confines. With a sigh, Jedi Master Mace Windu resigns to his fate and sits down in an opening among the gossiping Vode. Tra wiggles an arm free of her bindings and begins swinging it wildly- such an odd child. The medics have all abandoned their gauze wraps and data pads in favor of scooting forward to coo at the small child, Mace is effectively surrounded now- leaving little chance for escape until Cyclone gets back.

“Awww, General I never would have guessed that you would be willing to look after a Miniature Cadet. Although, I can’t imagine ever saying no to this face!” One of the Senior Medical Officers, Carbon, baby-talks at the child and gently pokes her cheek which makes her giggle and wave her arm around more. Mace is forced to shuffle her around so that she doesn’t hit him in the face and makes her more accessible to the clearly melting Medical Staff, which they seem to appreciate as they soon are playing with her.

“Well, Commander Ponds really didn’t give me much of a choice in the matter, she has been surprisingly good though, better than most younglings of this age.” This admission only makes the Medics coo more, as the situation becomes further and further stifling. Hopefully, Cyclone will return soon, because these Officers had far too much energy and were far too close to the Jedi Master which only agitated him more.

“Sir, um” A stammering voice picked itself up in the small gathering of Clones. Behind another of the Senior Medic’s -this one clad in a white set of scrubs with a pattern of little maroon sheep- a Soft Shell in a bright white uniform piped up. “I-uh- Where exactly did she come from?” The Shiny Trooper curled in on himself slightly as his brothers chuckled amongst themselves at the question. Said Trooper, now entirely flushed with embarrassment, “You all know I didn’t mean it like _that_!!” huffed at the other Medics and pouted at the edge of the gaggle.

This was certainly a turn of events. Something that eased Mace’s creeping anxiety, now that he was no longer being hounded with questions about things he has absolutely zero knowledge of.

“What is your name, Young One?” General Windu met the Soft Shell’s eyes, pinning the young man in place. The child slid out of the safety of Mace’s lap, landing herself upon the chilled surface of the large bandage rolling sheet. She makes a face of disdain, even as the men around her coo and attempt to coerce her into play. Who knew that all it took to take out the Ten Systems Army was the existence of a tiny grumpy infant.

“I-”

“We call him Balsa, Sir'' Cyclone sauntered out of the storage room, an old cloth Med Satchel in hand that was clearly laden with goods. It seems that Ponds wasn’t kidding about the Diaper Bag. “Most Advanced Soft Shell we got, with this new batch.” The Chief Medic drops the bag by its strap at the edge of the sheet, toeing off his sneakers before stepping foot amongst the routine work littering the floor. He couches next to the Shiney, taking the younger Trooper’s soft face in his hands and squishing it fiercely, “I’m thinking about putting this one into the Junior Track.” If the Medic was blushing before, his face was absolutely on fire now.

“Hm,” Light amusement twinkled in Mace’s eyes, a trait that only those who’ve long served under him could pick out. Poor Balsa appeared absolutely miserable under Cyclone’s loving grasp, grumbling lowly under what little breath could escape.“Best of luck to you both then, it’s surely a long and hard-fought road to travel.” A ghost of a smirk flitted across the Jedi’s features as the wiry CMO ruffled the kid’s hair and squeezed his shoulders tightly, earning a displeased groan.

By this point, the child had made her way about halfway across the plain sheet, attempting valiantly to drag herself through rolls upon rolls of clean white bandages- before being captured once more in the arms of a Trooper. She had only been held by three people prior to this new and unfamiliar creature that now held the Tra hostage. Her face scrunched up with displeasure as she was held aloft by the hands underneath her pudgy arms. This was not an ideal situation.

Mace watched passively as one of the Junior Medics caught the infant in her short adventure and lifted her into the crest of his own arms. A look of, what could only be described as pure Maternal bliss washed across the Trooper as he hushed and soothed the grumping little girl.

“Do you think Commander Ponds is really gonna keep her, Sir?” Carbon laid himself out across the floor, stretching a tad, and fingered idly at Tra’s tiny mitten hands. Not minding the lingering slime in the slightest. The Jedi frankly hadn’t the barest idea on how to answer the question. He’d certainly only spent less than a day with the babe and perhaps Ponds had maybe a few more hours tops, but how would they even begin thinking on how to accommodate for her? After all, the Endurance was an Active Battle Cruiser. A sharp snort interrupted Mace’s thoughts.

“Ha, you’re doubting Ponds’ Cadet Snatching capabilities? “ Cyclone grinned widely, “We can’t stop him, so might as well join ‘em- You’ve got Medical at your back, Windu.” Ah, the ever informal CMO- at least he was consistent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **_Mando'a Translations:_**  
>  Vod[e]- Brother[s], Sister[s], Sibling[s], Comrad[s]
> 
> Tex here: So, yeah! This is the first part of a [planned] Two-Part Miniseries, all taking place Canonically within The Painted Universe. Bass0w0n and I haven't really talked much about the world-building, here, or any real explanation for how things connect- WE'RE GETTING THERE, OKAY?? I can confirm that we're thinking about creating a Tumblr Page specifically for this Universe and any Research we do to further its complexity.
> 
> Anywho, keep an eye out for Part Two where we'll get a better look at Ponds' side of things.


End file.
